Springerle

If you do not share the old-country love of anise flavoring, substitute lemon oil or finely grated lemon zest. The baked cookies can be left plain to enjoy with coffee or tea (sometimes they get so hard they need a little dunking first), or they can be painted and used as ornaments. For ornaments, use a small, plain pastry tip to make a hole for a ribbon before baking; thread ribbon through the hole after decorating.

Springerle molds can be used to press designs into rolled marzipan